About Phoenix University of Theology

The mission of Phoenix University of Theology is to validate those who can boldly teach sound, consistent doctrine. We realize that God teaches us what we need to know and that the Lord is our teacher. Dr. Richard Drake began developing curriculum for distance learning in 1981. He realized that many qualified men and women in full time ministry do not have the time or the money to complete college. That is why the Phoenix University of Theology is such a critical part of God’s work. To provide, through evaluation of one’s lifelong learning and the evidence of God working through one’s life and ministry, a way for those gifted and qualified men and women to receive the credentials they deserve because of their self-motivated study and revelation education. It is one’s gifting, their faith, their presence, and their presentation of God’s call and purpose in their life that speaks to their level of education and validates their “Letters” or Degree.

Too often, those people who possess the Words of Life, who possess the power for eternal life, who have the strength and solid doctrine and truth often go without any letters or recognition. This has gone on far too long. Why? Because the church quit doing what it was sanctioned to do; to teach and qualify by providing the necessary skills, knowledge and credentials to produce competent instructors in the Word and then to validate their gifting and ability with documentation or “Letters” to confirm and validate their depth of knowledge and understanding of the Word of God and their skills and ability to teach with boldness and confidence.

Phoenix University of Theology doesn’t have a problem with anyone who testifies that Jesus Christ is Lord and has received salvation by faith through grace whether they’re Catholic, Baptist, or Pentecostal. 1 John 4: 2 tells us, “2every spirit which acknowledges and confesses that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) [has actually] become man and has come in the flesh, is of God.” It is not our mission to get people speaking in tongues. Tongues is one of the gifts, and not everyone possesses every gift. We’re on a mission to get people knowing Jesus, by validating those who can boldly teach sound, consistent, doctrine. We are providing them with the credentials they need so they can boldly and confidently go and teach God’s Word to multitudes, to change their hearts and minds to Christ.

God will teach us what we need to know. The Lord is our teacher. Many qualified men and women in full - time ministry find out that they don’t have the time or the money to complete college. That is why Phoenix University of Theology is such a critical part of God’s work, a revelation, if you will. To provide a way for those gifted and qualified men and women to receive the credentials they deserve because of their self - motivated study and revelation education. We do this through the evaluation of their “lifelong learning”.

Dr. Richard Drake heard about credit for life experience, CLEP, which stands for, college level examination program. He had been teaching adult bible school since he was a teenager. He was one of the lecturers for the Presbyterian denomination. He knew The Word. He knew he could do most of what any preacher could do, but there were things that he was lacking. When he went to the Seminary he said to the professors, “Examine me, see what I need. Give it to me and send me, I’m late.”

At that time Theological Schools didn’t know how to evaluate prior learning experience and they were concerned that it would affect their accreditation. They didn’t know how to give credit for what a person has already learned. Dr. Drake was shocked when the president of the seminary asked him, “How do you know when you speak in tongues that it’s from the lord and not from the devil?” Richard, reciting from Matthew 7:11 and Luke 11:13, If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” We know that God answers our prayers. We’ve got victory over Satan and it is the power of the testimony and the witness of the presence of God’s wisdom and God’s spirit in our lives that validate our credentials.

We are warned in 2 Timothy 3:1-8,” But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: men will… 5 have a form of godliness but denying its power... from such people turn away… 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith.”

1 Timothy 1:6-7 also tells us, “6But certain individuals have missed the mark ….[and] have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk. 7They have no understanding either of the words and terms they use or of the subjects about which they make dogmatic assertions. Thereby, they are undermining the faith of some.”

The majority of ministers in the world have degrees or graduate degrees. A hundred percent of them in some of the mainline denominations have degrees because they are required before they are ordained. The denominations that have the fewest amount of ministers with graduate degrees are Independent and Pentecostal. Statistics show only 17 to 20 percent in these denominations; however, they are neither ignorant nor unlearned. They are burning the world up for Jesus. Their ministries are growing faster than the mainline denominations, because they’ve been studying the Word of God and learning from God, receiving revelation education.

So many times we find ourselves frightened because we think we are going to fail God. But, what an exciting time it is when God empowers us. So, what we’re doing at Phoenix University of Theology is confirming, the best way we can what you’ve learned from your Heavenly Father about His Word and His doctrine. Then, we’re going to validate what you’ve learned and the level of it with the degree that you receive. In the process we’re going to prepare you with those things that we feel, by mutual agreement, you need to equip yourself with, to properly present Christ in truth and power to a lost and dying world. So you’ll go out with the Letter that says ‘Doctor.’ And you know what’s going to back up that letter? Not our signatures, but your gift, your faith, your presence, and your presentation of God’s call and purpose in your life. Amen.

Words of Dr. Richard Drake
February 14, 1945 - February 9, 2011

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OUR MISSION

Our Mission is to help train and equip ministers and those in ministry related fields, to achieve their full potential in life and ministry, by reducing cost and making it possible to complete a degree program primarily through distance learning, with a minimal amount of time away from ministry, work and family. read more